In Vancouver, Three New Treatments for Neighbourhood Waste

Unwanted produce. Old soap. Mattress frames. This is some of the “waste” that Simon Fraser University students and alumni are helping repurpose for new uses.

Through their enterprises, they invite consumers to question their everyday habits when it comes to throwing things away, and also think about what is considered waste.

After all, waste is costly. Food waste in Canada costs more than $31 billion a year, according to a 2014 report by consulting firm Value Chain Management International. This includes the millions of kilograms of food that go to waste in homes, restaurants and grocery stores.